I recently finished reading Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross. This fictional story about the woman who was Pope is a fairly good read. The writing is a little dry in places, but much more original than say, Dan Brown. I found it entertaining and enjoyable. Pope Joan is a semi-historical figure / legend who I hope existed just because. The author makes no allusions to historical accuracy and in fact gives you the real historical dates at the end of the book and tells you what she c...

I've been harping on my relationship for far too long. It's time to write about what I promised when I started this blog --nerdy stuff. This is a link my old roomie and fellow Tolkienite sent me. I got a kick out of it and thought I would share. http://uncyclopedia.org/images/b/bd/Europe_middle_earth.JPG Link Along the same lines, here is my favorite website for Hobbit and Elf name generators http://www.chriswetherell.com/hobbit/ Link http://www.chriswetherell.com/elf/ ...

A long time ago, someone requested that I put my thesis on JU. Well, the actual thesis is very long, so here are the notes I used when I presented it. Enjoy! (Or run away as fast as you can) Welcome to my presentation of Mythology, Fantasy Literature and the Modern Reader. What is the hold fantasy literature seems to have on its readers? What magic spell does it cast on readers from different countries, age groups, and backgrounds? I believe this is because contemporary fantasy litera...